Sorry to read about this BS. Reminds me of when my wife and I were at a Dodge dealer buying a new truck. There was a $35.00 fee they wanted us to pay for Dodge MoCo to send us mail/flyers/junk mail. At the door we were about to walk out, they agreed to pay it. Yes, we would walk out for $35.00.

Lucid, don't pay a dime more than you have to. I run into this exact situation with the local dealers in the area. We charge the customer a license fee ($100-$163 in IL) and also a $150 document fee to do the the legal paperwork. The doc fee is legitimate and is printed on every buyer's order. Anything more than that is just pure markup. A lot of dealers will call it a "prep" fee. I've seen it anywhere from $250-$500. It covers the dealer's cost of gas, floormats, and detailing the car, so the customer is really paying for that stuff. If it's not printed on the buyers order, don't pay it.

Stick by your word and don't back down. Trust me, that sales manager is probably scared shitless because he's got a custom built car on the way and he just pissed you off. Eventually, he'll swallow his pride and get rid of the fee.

Lucid, don't pay a dime more than you have to. I run into this exact situation with the local dealers in the area. We charge the customer a license fee ($100-$163 in IL) and also a $150 document fee to do the the legal paperwork. The doc fee is legitimate and is printed on every buyer's order. Anything more than that is just pure markup. A lot of dealers will call it a "prep" fee. I've seen it anywhere from $250-$500. It covers the dealer's cost of gas, floormats, and detailing the car, so the customer is really paying for that stuff. If it's not printed on the buyers order, don't pay it.

Stick by your word and don't back down. Trust me, that sales manager is probably scared shitless because he's got a custom built car on the way and he just pissed you off. Eventually, he'll swallow his pride and get rid of the fee.

My signed order sheet literally says "Car will be sold at MSRP; Deposit is Refundable" in dealer's hand writing. There is typed language on the form saying deposit is not refundable if buyer does not pick up car. And under the deposit box, it says $1000. It doesn't have anything else filled on it. There is a box for documentary preperation, but it is empty.

I was told I need to pay $80 for registration apart from this $258 documentation fee. If there are any other government or state taxes, I will pay. I will not pay for them to process paperwork, as their margin should cover that.

But who pays for the gas? Doesn't BMW cover that? Why is this guy telling me gas is a part of the documentation fee?

And if there is nothing on the order sheet about any additional fees, you're golden. If they didn't tell you about any additional charges when you put the deposit down, you shouldn't have to pay for them. They messed up, not you.

Is this the same guy that is charging everybody for LoJack on these cars? rofl

And if there is nothing on the order sheet about any additional fees, you're golden. If they didn't tell you about any additional charges when you put the deposit down, you shouldn't have to pay for them. They messed up, not you.

Thanks for that clarification.

Quote:

Originally Posted by timsev

Is this the same guy that is charging everybody for LoJack on these cars? rofl

Yeah, they've got stripes on every car they sell for a daily low price of $199, too!

Screw him I guess if he doesn't pull his stuff together. Maybe I'll buy that AW from you that E has been drooling on!

Update: The sales manager did not call back the day he said he would. I left a message on my CA's voicemail saying that doesn't help the situation and they need to get back to me. CA emailed this morning saying they will deduct $258 from MSRP, and that I will also be getting the M-floor mats. This was a close call; I really was ready to give up the car. So, I'm all set and excited about the M3 again!

Update: The sales manager did not call back the day he said he would. I left a message on my CA's voicemail saying that doesn't help the situation and they need to get back to me. CA emailed this morning saying they will deduct $258 from MSRP, and that I will also be getting the M-floor mats. This was a close call; I really was ready to give up the car. So, I'm all set and excited about the M3 again!

Fantastic!! Really glad that worked out for you.
Still for not calling you back.

How was it for you when you ordered your M3? Does the ordering process run smoother in Germany?

In my case it ran smooth. The delivery date I were told was quite accurate. I guess one reason why this has to run smooth is the fact that ordering a car here means a binding contract, you can only pull in case the delivery is postponed for more than 6 weeks. So no delay means no backdoor.